Water heater



Feb- 4, 1936- I T. H. :Rl-:LAND 2,029,927

- WATER HEATER Filed sept, 28,' 1954 INVENTOR 7710/11/15 IRQ/1110A'rroRN Patented Feb. 4, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT GFFCE 6 Claims.

The invention relates to water heaters and particularly to utilizing aconventional range boiler as a unit part of the heater or, in otherwords, associating the water heater and heating medium employed with aboiler of the class described, and the object of the invention is toprovide a water heating unit employing a range boiler with a heatingcoil associated with and arranged beneath the boiler, with a source ofheat supply disposed immediately below the heater coil, whereby theproducts of combustion radiating from the heating medium may be directedfirst onto the coil and then upon the boiler; a further object being toprovide a water heating member or coil comprising a series of tubes openat one end, each tube containing a baffle or partition plate formingcirculating passages within rthe tubes and detachable plugs at the openends of the tubes, facilitating the removal of the plates and thecleaning of the tubes and plates whenever desired; and with these andother ob- -jects in View, the invention consists in a heater unit of theclass and for the purpose specified, which is simple in construction,eilcient in use, and which is constructed as hereinafter described andclaimed.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, ofwhich the accompanying drawing forms a part, in which the separate parts.of my improvement are designated by suitable reference characters ineach of the views, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a side and sectional view of the unit made according to myinvention with part of the construction broken away.

Fig. 2 is a partial section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a partial section on the line 3-3 of Fig. k2.

Fig. 4 is a detail plan and sectional view of a modified form of heaterwhich I may employ, and,

Fig. 45 is a perspective view of one of the baille plates which Iemploy.

`In Fig. 1 of the drawing, I have indicated at I0 yairange boiler or hotwater tank of more or less conventional form supported on a stand IIprovided at its upper end with a flanged ring I2 upon which the boileror tank seats. The water supply and discharge tubes to the tank orboiler are not shown but these will be of the conventional or anydesired arrangement. But, at I3 I yhave shown the usual drain pipeextending from the bottom wall of the boiler, which pipe is providedwith a usual Valve or shut-off, not shown.

At I4, I have shown the cold water circulating pipe extending from thelower portion of the boiler I0, and connected, asi indicated at I5, withmy improved water heater I6, a union Illa being incorporated in the pipeI4 to facilitate the mounting of the water heater as will be apparent.

The water is discharged from the heater I5 through a pipe I'I whichcouples with a fourway coupling I3 with which the hot Water supply pipeI9 is also coupled, the latter extending to and being connected with theupper end of the boiler as indicated at 20. Clean out plugs I8a areprovided on the coupling I8 to facilitate cleaning out the pipes I'I andI9.

In the construction shown I employ a skirt or jacket portion 2 I whichextends downwardly from the ring I2 and envelops the stand II, waterheater I6, as well as the gas burner 22, or other heating medium orsource of heat supply. In

other words, `the skirt or jacket 2E forms what a transverse strap orrod 24, the forward end,A

being supported by the pipes I4 and I9 and the y connections thereof. Atthe lower portion of the skirt 2l are a number of air inlet openings 25for supply to the burner 22. At one side of the skirt or casing adjacentthe lower end of the boiler is an elbow exhaust 26 for the discharge ofproducts of combustion from the chamber 2 la within the skirt 2l.

The water heater I6 as shown in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive consists of acasing 2l having one longi- 2.

tudinal passage 2S extending therethrough, and three transverse passages29, 36, and 3|, the forward ends of which are clod by plugs 29a, 39a,and Sla, and coupled with the rear ends thereof are elongated thimbleshaped tubes 32, 33, ande' 34. In each of these tubes are arrangedbaille or partition walls 35, 35, and 3l', the forward end portions ofwhich are provided with laterally extending ears 38 which set in slots39 formed in the casing 2'! at the inner end of the plugs 29a,

39a, and 3Ia, so as to position the baffle plates 35, 36, and 3l in thediagonal arrangement illustrated clearly in Fig. 3 of the drawing toprovide at the lower side of the circulating tubes 32, 33, and 34,passages 40 and at the upper portions thereof, passages 4I placed inconnection at the rear closed .ends of the tubes 32, 33, and 34 asindicated at 42, the latter being formed by projecting stop pins orfingers I3 at the inner ends of the plates 35, 3E, and 3l. In Fig. 5 ofthe drawing I have shown a detail view of the baiile plate 35 on anenlarged scale clearly illustrating the ears 38 and the ringer 43.

In other words, in the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive theheater I6 is made up into three tubes, each subdivided by a baiile orpartition plate to divide the same into what may be termed intakepassages 4Q and exhaust passages 4I placed in communication at the innerends of the tube as at 42 so that cold water entering through the pipeI5 will rst pass into the bore 28 below the plate 35, o-w backwardlythrough the passage 40 and then forwardly through the passage 4I in thetube 32, again into the bore 28 beneath the plate 35, pass successivelythrough the tubes 33 and 34 in the same manner, and nally dischargethrough the pipe I'I from which it will pass into the pipe I9 and thusinto the boiler III. In other words, the circulation becomes continuouswhen the burner 22 is in operation to circulate water'from the bottom ofthe boiler back and forth through the tubes of the heater I6 and to thetube of the boiler. From time to time, and especially in using heaterunits o-f this type with certain types of water supplies, a formation ofscale or sediment is experienced in the pipes, tubes, and the like ofthe heater unit and the circulating pipes of the system. For thisreason, the plugs 29a, 38a, and 3io: are employed to facilitate removalof the plates 35, 3G, and 31 to clean off said plates as well as thetubes 32, 33, and 34. The plugs IB@ may also be removed to clean out thelongitudinal passage or bore 28, the pipe I'l and the pipe I9, thuskeeping the circulating system absolutely clean at all times and in likemanner maintaining the most eicient heating exchange between the burner22 or other heating mediums employed and the Walls of the tubes of theburner.

It will be understood that instead of arranging the member I6 in astraight horizontal plane as indicated in Fig. 1 the same may bedisposed in an inclined plane with the end attached to the pipe I1higher than the end attached at the pipe I5 to increase circulation.

In Fig. 4 of the drawing I have shown a slight modification of thestructure shown in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive wherein the water heater |611has its 4tubes 32a, 33a, and 34a., cast or otherwise formed integralwith the casing 21a and aside from this structural change the heater IGais the same as the heater I6 and operates in the same manner.

It will also be seen upon consideration of Fig. 2

'of the drawing that a cover 44 may be formed on the casing or skirt 2|in alinement with the plugs 29a, 39a, and 3Ia to give access theretoVwhenever desired, the cover being hinged as is render the heater unitmore efficient.

It will be understood that my invention is not necessarily limited tothe specific arrangement of parts herein shown and described nor to the`number of circulating tubes employed in the j heater, and stillfurther, it will be apparent that the device may be utilized as a heatexchanger. It will also be apparent that my invention may be applicablefor use as a household heater or built on a larger scale to satisfygreater volume of supply and still further may be used for commercialpurposes. But, in all cases the fundamental plan of the unit will becarried out.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is:

l. A heat exchanger device comprising a casing having a continuous boreextending longitudinally therethrough, a plurality of tubes radiatingfrom said bore at spaced intervals longitudinally thereof, the chambersof said tubes opening into and being in communication through said bore,means arranged longitudinally of said tubes and extending through saidbore for subdividing the tubes into independent circulating passagesplaced in communication with each other at the free end of the tubessaid last named means comprising plates, and the casing having spacedpassages in alinement with said tubes and communicating with the bore ofsaid casing to provide attachment and detachment of the plates withrespect to said tubes.

2. A heat exchanger device comprising a casing having a continuous boreextending longitudinally therethrough, a plurality of tubes radiatingfrom said bore at spaced intervals longitudinally thereof, the chambersof said tubes opening into and being in communication through said bore,means arranged longitudinally of said tubes and extending through saidbore for subdividing the tubes into independent circulating passagesplaced in communication with each other at the free end of the tubes,said last named means comprising plates, the casing having spacedpassages in alinement with said tubes and communicating with the bore ofsaid casing to provide attachment and detachment of the plates withrespect to said tubes, plugs detachable from the casing -for closingeach of said passages, and means on the plates and in said casing forkeying the plates against rotation in the casing and said tubes.

3. A heat exchanger device comprising a casing having a continuous boreextending longitudinally therethrough, a plurality of tubes radiatingfrom said bore at spaced intervals longitudinally thereof, the chambersof said tubes opening into and being in communication through said bore,means arranged longitudinally of said tubes and extending through saidbore for subdividing the tubes into independent circulating passagesplaced in communication with each other at the free end of the tubes,said last named means comprising plates, the casing having spacedpassages in alinement with said tubes and communicating with the bore ofsaid casing to provide attachment and detachment of the plates withrespect to said tubes, plugs detachable from the casing for closing eachof said paages, and means on the plates and in said casing for keyingthe plates against rotation in the casing and said tubes, the saidplates being arranged in each tube in an upwardly inclined directionwith respect to the longitudinal plane of the bore in said casing.

4. A iiuid heater of the class described comprising a plurality oflaterally spaced tubes, one end of said tubes being closed, the otherend thereof be-ing open, means for placing the open ends of said tubesin communication with each other, a plate arranged in each tube andextending into said last named means to divide independent passages toform through the series of tubes, a continuous coil-like passageextending forwardly and backwardly through the respective tubes insuccessive order, and means on said plates and in said first named meansfor retaining said plates in predetermined position in the respectivetubes.

5. A fluid heater of the class described comprising an elongated casinghaving a continuous bore extending longitudinally therethrough andopening through opposite ends thereof, a plurality of openings spacedlongitudinally in one side Wall of the casing and extending into saidbore, a plurality of tubular members opening into the bore and extendingfrom the opposite side of the casing in alinement with said openings, aplate mounted in each tube through the opening arranged in alinementtherewith, said plate being keyed to said casing and transversng thebore thereof to divide said bore and the tube into independent sidepassages placed in communication at the free ends of the tubes, andplugs for closing the openings of said casing.

6. A fluid heater of the class described comprising an elongated casinghaving a continuous bore extending longitudinally therethrough andopening through opposite ends thereof, a plurality of openings spacedlongitudinally in one side Wall of the casing and extending into saidbore, a plurality of tubular members opening into the bore and extendingfrom the opposite side of the casing in alinement with said openings, aplate mounted in each tube through the opening arranged in alinementtherewith, said plate being keyed to said casing and transversing thebore thereof to divide said bore and the tube into independent sidepassages placed in communication at the free ends of the tubes, andplugs for closing the openings of said casing, the said plate comprisinga thin metal strip provided with laterally extending key lugs at one endand a. pro jecting finger centrally of the other end thereof.

THOMAS H. IRELAND.

